


Let Me Give You A Hand

by foldedchip



Series: Mao Mao: Buddy Cop AU [3]
Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Adorabat is babey, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Real World, Amputees, Bedtime, Bedtime Stories, Canon Non-Binary Character, Cute, Father Figures, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Grammarly is my beta reader, He/Him pronouns for Adorabat, Mao Mao is my son, Mao lost his fingers instead of his tail, Mention of tourniquets, Mentions of broken fingers, Nonbinary Adorabat, Not so bad, Now his hands look like paws, One Shot, Police, Read at Your Own Risk, She/Her pronouns for Adorabat, Short, Short One Shot, That's why it's rated T, They/Them pronouns for Adorabat, because dog, but - Freeform, dadmao, did anyone else that the amulet of borflagon has the word "borf" in it, mentions of amputation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-12 02:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20557016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldedchip/pseuds/foldedchip
Summary: Mao tells Adorabat the story of the amulet of Borflagon before bed, and Adorabat is a cute child.





	Let Me Give You A Hand

**Author's Note:**

> The title is trash, the story is not.
> 
> Don't tell me that my story is trash in the comments, I don't wanna hear it.

Warm lamplight illuminated Adorabat’s bedroom, casting a soft glow against his shelved stuffed animals and wall-bound ninja posters.

It had been over a year since the incident with Orangusnake, and Adorabat had been adopted by the two police officers. It turns out that she was in foster care, and after fostering her for a while, they ultimately took her in.

Needless to say, they were well taken care of. Her schooling was taken care of online. “More efficient,” Mao Mao had said, “and it’ll teach her responsibility.”

Mao and Badger cooperated with their boss, the rarefied S. Nugglemagne, and started taking turns working part-time to watch and occasionally assist Adorabat. As they did all of their work together, it wasn’t much of an issue to sort out. When they couldn’t stay at home for her, she was happy to do her work at the sheriff’s department, as long as she kept quiet with her computer.

Mao gently removed the hair bobbles from Adorabat’s fluffy hair and massaged their scalp where the hair had been bunched. His prosthetic fingers moved with the care that he would use for an injured butterfly.

Adorabat let out a content sigh and closed his eyes. She lifted her blue pajamas with yellow hearts over her head and yawned.

Mao prepared to grab a book, wondering how he could keep her from having another nightmare when he felt a tug at his sleeve.

Mao turned around in surprise.

Adorabat grinned, releasing the seam of his shirt, “How did you get your fingers, Mao Mao? They’re so cool!”

Flexing the stainless steel and silicone fingers on his two hands, he pursed his lips.

“Alright, I’ll tell you the story of how I got my fingers.”

Adorabat excitedly snuggled into her covers to show that she was ready.

Mao leaned against the bedframe and rested one leg on the bed, “When I was a teenager, I had this friend named Bao-”

Adorabat beamed, “Like a dog! Bao Bao!”

Mao Mao nodded, “Yeah, and we decided that we were going to find the legendary amulet of Borflagon, which was rumored to be in a hidden cave.”

Eyes near-shimmering, Adorabat rested her head on Mao Mao’s shoulder.

“So, after weeks of search, we found the cave. There was, indeed, the amulet inside. Legend said that it would hold the wielder's most precious memory inside, but I think it was just a fancy locket.

“Anyway, it was real and we  _ found _ it. Together. I was so excited. It was behind this boulder, so we each lifted one side up to grab it. But Bao Bao, being the selfish traitor he was, snatch the amulet from the space under the boulder and ran off, leaving me holding onto that huge rock!”

Adorabat gasped and held onto Mao Mao’s shirt.

“The rock was too heavy for me to lift on my own, and without Bao Bao’s support, it crushed my fingers.”

Adorabat reached out to grab Mao Mao’s hand, “So  _ that’s  _ how it happened. But how did you get out of the cave?”

Mao shook his head, “One hand wasn’t as caught under, so I managed to get that one out, but the bones were completely shattered. Still, I managed to make a tourniquet with my cape, and-”

“-what’s a tourniquet?”

“It’s not fun. I ended up having to dislocate my fingers and amputate them myself, just so that I could get out of the cave. It hurt, but I was so full of adrenaline that I didn’t notice as much.”

Adorabat played with the fingers, bending them and running her own stubby ones across the cold stainless steel. They resembled a skeleton hand, but with joints connecting the fingertips to Mao’s knuckles, and forming a sort of metal bracelet around his wrist to keep them in place.

“Did Badger Clops make the prosthetic hand?” they asked.

Mao nodded, “Yeah, later on. It was  _ really _ rough before that, but I made something that would allow me to grip a katana, so I ended up learning how to cope without flesh fingers. I started wearing gloved with stuffed fingers in public so that it wouldn’t draw attention. Getting the prosthetics, though, was a  _ major _ help, and I started using them under my gloves.”

“What?!” Adorabat exclaimed, “You shouldn’t wear gloves! Your hands are so cool!”

Mao raised an eyebrow, “Really? I always thought they looked kinda like paws… At least without the prosthetics on.”

Adorabat violently shook her head, “Nuh-uh! They look like robot hands! I wish  _ I _ had robot hands!”

Mao Mao threw his head back and laughed, “Nah, the boulder and the tourniquet hurt really bad. I had to dislocate and cut my own fingers off when I was 16, you don’t want that. Besides, you’re already got a super cool leg,” he gestured to the leg resting up against the bed.

Adorabat shrugged, “I guess, and I look really cool in shorts and skirts.”

Patting her poofy hair, Mao gave her a smile, “That’s true. It makes you look strong, not that having all of your limbs and digits makes a person weak, but you look like you survived something dangerous.”

Adorabat closed her eyes, “Yeah, or like I fight monsters.”

Mao Mao kissed her head and sat up, heading for the door.

“Yep.”

“Mao Mao?”

Mao’s finger hovered over the light switch.

“Yes?”

“If the amulet of Borflagon really  _ did _ show your most precious memory, what would it show?”

Mao turned around lowered his voice, “You.”

He flicked the light switch and left, closing the door behind him.

Adorabat slept well that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Badgerclops: 7 assignments due on Wednesday? Oh, dear. I’ll help you, Adorabat.
> 
> Mao Mao: *on the phone with several teachers and admins* 7 ASSIGNMENTS DUE IN TWO DAYS?! THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!! GET ME ON THE PHONE WITH TRUDENCE, I HAVE A COMPLAINT-
> 
> Hey, everyone! Angery cat dad is best dad! I LOVE my virtual school program, it really cuts back on all the stress of spending all day at building school, and you can go at a pace that’s right for you. And, you can do it anywhere: at work, on the bus, at a cafe, and anywhere else that you would spend a lot of time at. Many people worry that they or their child wouldn’t get enough social interaction, but as long as you remain a student at a school district, they’ll usually let you take one or two in-building classes so that you get time around peers, but it’s limited to about an hour per day. Most virtual school students have disabilities that make school difficult, such as cerebal palsy or anxiety, and the virtual school lets them get a great, personalized education, with the option to spend part of the day at school. There are lots of great programs out there, and many of them even offer AP classes that building schools don’t teach!
> 
> I love to hear from you! Comments and kudos totally make my day, and suggestions for what to write next are super helpful! Thank you for reading, and wear your seatbelt!


End file.
